Battle of Chancellorsville

The Battle of Chancellorsville (30 April-6 May 1863) was a major battle of the American Civil War that occurred when the 133,868-strong Union Army of the Potomac under Joseph Hooker failed in its attempt to defeat Robert E. Lee's 60,298-strong Confederate Army of Northern Virginia in the area around Chancellorsville and Fredericksburg. The Union army planned a double envelopment to destroy the smaller Confederate army, but Lee took a risk and left a fifth of his army to hold back John Sedgwick's force at Fredericksburg as the remainder of his army attacked Hooker's advance. Hooker withdrew his men to defensive lines at Chancellorsville, where Stonewall Jackson's entire corps embarked on a flanking maneuver that routed the Union XI Corps. Jackson was unfortunately mortally wounded by his own pickets while scouting ahead of his men, and J.E.B. Stuart took command of his corps. On 3 May, the bloodiest fighting of the battle occurred when Lee launched several assaults on the Union positions, leading to both sides suffering heavy losses. Sedgwick managed to defeat the Confederates at Fredericksburg and join the main battle, but the Confederates delayed him at Salem Church before forcing him to withdraw to Banks' Ford. On 5 May 1863, Sedgwick's force withdrew across the ford, and Hooker retreated on the night of 5-6 May 1863. The battle was a costly Confederate victory, with the Union losing 17,287 men and the Confederates losing 13,303 men; Stonewall Jackson would die from his wounds on 10 May 1863, and his death was a major loss for the Confederacy. Lee would be encouraged by his victory at Chancellorsville and make preparations for a new invasion of the North, culminating in the Battle of Gettysburg less than two months later.